Patient trolleys are well known. Patient trolleys, also referred to as hospital stretchers, usually have a base with four wheels. Vertical support members rise upward from the base and are connected to horizontal members on which a patient support table is connected. The vertical members may be adjustable to vary the height and inclination of the patient support table.
Highly desirable trolleys or hospital stretchers are configured so that the patient support table may be positioned over operating room pedestals or between X-ray sources and film holders. Some trolleys or stretchers have tiltable upper body supports.
A patient trolley is described in an eight page Siemens brochure entitled "Patient Transport Trolley--PTT-R." That particular trolley has an upper body support which is hinged to a patient table and which may be manually lifted and supported by manually positioned angular braces.
A hospital stretcher in which an upper body support is raised by a screwed jack is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,341,246.
The devices of the prior art have drawbacks in that when heavy patients are served, it is difficult to raise the upper body of the person manually or with known apparatus such as the screw jacks. Notwithstanding the difficulty, great effort may be expended by two or more attendants to raise the upper body support when it is desired to maintain a patient in such a position.
During emergency conditions which do not occur during the use of such trolleys or stretchers it is extremely important to quickly lower the patient to a complete horizontal position for emergency treatment. The desirable elevated position is particularly useful for heart patients and is often referred to as the "heart" position. Such patients are susceptible to cardiac arrest, which requires immediate treatment in a horizontal position. Thus, it is necessary to be able to easily raise and rapidly lower an upper body support on such trolleys and stretchers.
In supports which are manually raised and which use braces, several attendants may be required to lift the support while the braces are removed. In screw jack type of supports valuable time may be lost in continuous turning of a handle to lower the upper body support.
Devices such as screw jacks may make the compatibility of stretchers with existing hospital equipment impossible.